Approaching Storm
by ForgottenShadowriter
Summary: Link meets two strangers in the forest. A man with red hair and a Kokiri he's never seen before. The two bring chaos and disaster into Link's once peaceful life and nothing will ever be the same again. A novelization of Ocarina of Time with a few twists.


Chapter 1: Fairyless

Cheers rang out amongst the children. They crowded around the two bickering boys waiting in the shade of the Lost Woods.

"There's no way you're gonna win," Mido taunted. "You don't have a fairy."

"Yeah!" Mikio, a small, orange fairy hovering over Mido's shoulder said.

"I don't need a fairy to beat you, Mido," Link shot back.

"Pfft. Without a fairy, you're not even a real man."

"We'll see about that."

"Hah! You'll-,"

Whatever Mido was going to say was forgotten as all the Kokiri froze. The sounds of a new tune drifted from the woods. Saria had started to play her song.

Both boys took off, running into the forest. This was a race Link was going to win; he was ready for what was coming next.

The ground moved beneath his feet. That was when Mido shouted instructions to his fairy to guide him.

The two boys split up as a tree shifted into place between them. The trees moved to conceal any path. The entire forest was moving.

Link dodged under low branches and jumped over stirring roots as he ran through the forest, following the music. An abrupt cry told him that Mido had fallen. Link smirked.

While Mido had the help of a fairy guide, Link had the advantage of knowing the patterns of the Lost Woods. He'd been to the Temple's Meadow too many times to be getting lost.

The movement of the trees slowed, and Saria's music grew louder. He was headed in the right direction.

Then something darted in front of him. With his concentration broken, he misjudged the distance of his jump to the next root and fell. Groaning, he pulled himself up. Dark shapes ran around him.

"Oh no," he moaned.

Did he wander into their colony by accident? The skull kids and the Kokiri were not exactly the best of friends. He braced himself, prepared to run from their darts, but they weren't stopping. A whisper of a man with a head of fire caught his interest as he noticed a skull kid climbing a tree and jumping from branch to branch toward… something. There was only one.

Saria was still playing her song in the distance, but curiosity got the better of him. He turned away from the music. The skull kid didn't seem to notice him. He stopped when he saw it stop above something strange.

From his viewpoint behind one of the trees, Link saw a strange man. His skin was dark and his head really did look like it was on fire for a moment before Link realized that it was his hair. His black clothes stood out against the greens and browns of the forest.

The man slapped at his cheek and pulled something away from his face. He looked up to see the skull kid who had just shot the dart at him. He lifted his hand and a light flashed. Link's eyes were blinded momentarily, but after blinking several times, he could see the skull kid in a heap on the ground with the stranger standing over it. The man picked up the skull kid from by the throat.

"Maybe you can help me," he said.

The skull kid could hardly put up a fight.

"I want you to tell me where I can find the master of this forest."

 _The Great Deku Tree!_ Link thought.

The skull kid coughed weakly, but said nothing. The man smiled and Link cringed when he heard cracking. He jumped out of his hiding place.

"Stop!" he shouted.

The man turned to look at him. Link's heart was pounding, but he couldn't run away. Not anymore.

"Leave him alone." he said.

"Will you tell me what I need to know?"

What was he going to do? What if this stranger tried to hurt the Great Deku Tree? But the skull kid…

"I-," Link started.

"I will," a new voice said calmly.

Link jumped as a hand rested on his shoulder. He spun around to find a boy. No. A Kokiri. At least, he looked like a Kokiri. He wore the traditional green clothes and cap every Kokiri boy wore. His kempt, light-brown hair was parted on the side. He wasn't someone Link recognized which was strange. He knew every Kokiri that lived in the village.

The Kokiri smiled at Link for a moment but then turned a calm gaze toward the man.

"But only if you release the child."

The man dropped the skull kid.

"There," he said without turning his eyes away from the boy. "Now lead the way."

The boy walked forward and bent to touch the skull kid's forehead. He looked at Link who could only stare. Something was off about this Kokiri. But what was it?

"Can you take care of him?" the Kokiri asked.

Link nodded first but then shook his head

"But you can't-,"

"Everything will be all right," the Kokiri said. He looked at the man. "Follow me."

Without even a glance back at Link, the man followed.

Stunned, Link watched them walk deeper into the woods. Who was the strange Kokiri?

A cough brought his attention back to the skull kid. He rushed over and crouched next to him.

"Hey. Are you okay?" he asked.

He lifted the skull kid into a sitting position. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to help an injured skull kid. He was strange with a beak-like mouth and no eyes. He seemed to be breathing okay, but did they breathe normally like the Kokiri? He couldn't even tell if it was injured, but the cracking he heard earlier…

Two orange, glowing eyes suddenly appeared on the skull kid's face. He leaped to his feet and back flipped away from Link. He moved so quickly, he seemed to vanish into thin air.

Link let out a sigh of relief. The skull kid was okay after all.

He jumped to his feet when he remembered his race with Mido. He listened for Saria's song again, but couldn't hear it. Instead he heard another song - an annoying little tune. That was Mido's flute. Link groaned. Mido had won.

He ran through the already calmed woods toward the sounds of Mido's song.

When he finally made it to the temple meadow he ran through the hedge maze and bumped into Mido, knocking him over.

Mido stood up.

"I won, Slow-poke. I thought you didn't need a fairy to beat me," he said.

"Mido," Saria's fairy, Celes,scolded. Saria had been standing behind him with her violet fairy.

She reached out to help Link up. He took her hand and pulled himself to his feet, dusting his tunic off. They were already walking back to the Kokiri village.

"Thanks," he said. He turned to walk with them.

"What took you so long, No-fairy?" Mido asked.

Saria smacked Mido's hat off his head. "Knock it off!"

Link ignored the taunt.

"There was a man in the forest," he said.

Mido and Saria stopped to look at Link.

"A man?" Mido asked skeptically.

"Oh. Did you help him out?" Saria asked.

Link shook his head. "He hurt a skull kid, but then someone came to help." He couldn't stop thinking about the Kokiri.

"Excuses!" Mikio interrupted as he flew up to Link's face. "Mido won! Mido won!"

Mido laughed and cheered along with his fairy as they went on ahead, but Link wasn't listening.

"Fairy…" Link whispered.

"Link? Is something wrong?" Saria asked.

"He didn't have a fairy."

Author's Note:

Finally started my first fanfic. I've been planning this out for a few months now, but I could never figure out how to start it. I've got the next chapter just about ready, so it'll be posted soon. I'd love to get all of your thoughts and reviews.


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